Monday, November 5, 2012

In December 2011, Idaho's unemployment rate dropped to 8.6 percent; at the time the the jobless figure was the the lowest rate recorded in the Gem State in 2 1/2 years.

Nine months later Idaho's unemployment rate dropped to 7.1 percent for September, according to the U.S. Labor Department. While population centers in Ada and Bonneville counties recorded jobless rates less than seven percent, however, many rural counties were still struggling.

In this week's Graph of the Week, we look at the range of jobless numbers in Idaho's 44 counties, from a low of 3.4 percent in Franklin County, to a high of 11.2 percent in Adams County.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Two years ago, three of four members of Idaho's congressional delegation faced reelection, and the closest of those races was between U.S. Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick and Republican challenger, former Idaho State Rep. Raul Labrador.

Labrador won, echoing a trend seen across the country as Democrats lost ground in Congress, including control of the U.S. House of Representatives, though Democrats managed to maintain a slim majority in the Senate.

On Tuesday, Nov. 6, Idaho voters will again be asked to decide how the Gem State should be represented in the U.S. House.

This time as an incumbent, Labrador is running for reelection against Democratic challenger Jimmy Farris, while Republican Rep. Mike Simpson faces Democrat and former Idaho State Sen. Nicole LeFavour.

Here's a look at how Idahoans voted in the 2010 congressional runoffs:

Monday, October 15, 2012

Across the country, waistlines continue to grow, with millions of Americans struggling to stay healthy.

As of 2011, a high of 34.9 percent of people were obese in the state of Mississippi to a low of 20.7 percent in Colorado, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC defines obese and overweight labels by body mass index, a measure of height and weight that correlates with the person's amount of body fat. A BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight, 18.5 to 24.9 is healthy weight, 25.0 to 29.9 is overweight and 30 or higher is considered obese.

For a 5-foot, 9-inch person, a weight of 203 pounds or more would be considered obese.

Monday, October 8, 2012

In this edition of Graph of the Week, we look at the City of Boise's Top 10 highest-earning workers.

Unsurprisingly, public services like the Boise Police and Fire departments rank high on the list, with Police Chief Michael Masterson ranking at No. 1.

The data comes from a tool made available by the Idaho Statesman, the public salaries database. According to that website, the tool includes employee salary information on 24,000-plus Idaho State employees, and 2,000-plus City of Boise employees.